Facebook Is The Social Network Of Choice For 86% Of The Workforce, But High Mobility Job Seekers Prefer LinkedIn, Jobvite Study Shows

San Mateo, Calif., July 22, 2014 — Jobvite, the comprehensive recruitment platform for the world’s fastest growing companies, today announced the results of the Job Seeker Nation: Mobility In The Workforce Study, derived from the company’s annual Job Seeker Nation Survey. Jobvite examined the defining characteristics that set job seekers apart in the two-tiered labor market and how this impacts the methods and tools they use to seek career opportunities.

The data underscores the behavior and characteristics of job seekers in an increasingly divided labor market. This divide has produced heightened demand for highly skilled workers, leaving less skilled workers with fewer opportunities for advancement and mobility within the labor market.

Notable findings include:

A tightening labor market increases demand for skilled workers.

Technology, in combination with the retirement of baby boomers, contributes to increased demand for highly skilled workers. These job seekers have the demand and skill to change jobs more frequently, giving them increased mobility within the labor market. Unlike low mobility workers, these high mobility job seekers are predominately female, college educated and actively use social media and mobile technology in their job search. They have the skills to meet the demands of increasingly competitive and technical fields, making them more optimistic in their career prospects, resulting in the flexibility to switch jobs more frequently. Alternatively, less skilled workers experience more difficulty finding advanced positions resulting in lower mobility when job searching.

Not all job searches are created equal.

Social and mobile technologies have forever changed job seeking. The Job Seeker Nation: Mobility In The Workforce Study found that 70 percent of high and low mobility workers change jobs every 1-5 years, thanks in large part to technological advancements. Regardless of education or skill set, workers never stop searching for jobs, yet the way in which high and low mobility job seekers find jobs differs significantly.

Data shows that twice as many high mobility job seekers use recruiters or social networks during their job search. These job seekers are savvier about their social media privacy and are more likely to use LinkedIn during the job search than low mobility job seekers. Low mobility job seekers prefer to use referrals and Internet job boards in addition to Facebook to find the next career opportunity. However, both tiers of the labor market find the ability to apply for jobs on a smartphone important. This emphasizes the increasing prevalence of mobile for the always-on job seeker as job shopping becomes an extension of everyday life.

High mobility job seekers are more likely to be fully employed, optimistic and open to new opportunities.

As companies struggle to find quality talent to meet demand for technical, highly skilled positions, high mobility job seekers have more choices and opportunities for advancement. Data reveals that education, skill set and demand likely contribute to job seeker’s optimism, which contributes to their increased flexibility and mobility within the labor market. Ultimately, more optimistic workers are likely to leave a company for a better opportunity.

Mobile is important to both tiers of the labor market, but not everyone uses the same tools on mobile.

The rise of social and mobile technologies has turned job seeking from an “under the radar” activity into a part of everyday life. This shift in the job seeking experience is changing how and when job seekers interact with companies and seek new career opportunities. While both high and low mobility job seekers actively use mobile in their job search, how they use mobile difference significantly; high mobility job seekers are more inclined to use LinkedIn, whereas low mobility job seekers prefer Facebook. For today’s job seeker, mobile is an essential tool in the job hunt, regardless of skill set, education level, or market demand.

“As the economy continues to improve, a divide in the workforce is becoming increasingly apparent” said Dan Finnigan, president and CEO of Jobvite. “Demand for highly skilled, technical positions is rising, leaving less skilled workers to compete for fewer jobs with less opportunity for advancement. This signals a greater need to embrace STEM education and for job seekers to be savvier about their job search with social media and mobile technology. Combined, these factors will help bridge the gap in a fiercely competitive labor market.

On behalf of Jobvite, the polling company, inc., conducted a nationwide online omnibus survey of 2,135 adults (aged 18+), of whom 1,303 were participants in the U.S. labor force. Participants were not necessarily Jobvite customers and were screened based on their education level, employment status, and attitude toward future career opportunities. Non-employed, non-job seekers were excluded from the study.

About Jobvite

Jobvite is the leading recruiting platform for the social web. Today's fastest-growing companies use applicant tracking, recruiter CRM and social recruiting software solutions from Jobvite to target the right talent and build the best teams. Jobvite is a complete, modular Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform which can optimize the speed, cost-effectiveness and ease of recruiting for any company. For more information, visit www.jobvite.com.